CVE-2019-11287: RabbitMQ Denial of Service Vulnerability
HIGHCVE-2019-11287 is a HIGH (CVSS 7.5) denial of service vulnerability (CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String) affecting RabbitMQ libraries in the Hex ecosystem. The issue involves pivotal rabbitmq is vulnerable to a denial of service attack. Remediation is available by upgrading affected packages to version 3.7.21, 3.8.1, 1.16.7, 1.17.4.
CVE-2019-11287 at a Glance
Security Impact
CVSS: 7.5
The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).
How to Fix CVE-2019-11287
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected RabbitMQ dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.
Upgrade RabbitMQ to 3.7.21Upgrade RabbitMQ to 3.8.1Upgrade RabbitMQ to 1.16.7Upgrade RabbitMQ to 1.17.4Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release:
inspect dependencies for RabbitMQHow to Check if You Are Affected
To determine whether your application is affected by CVE-2019-11287, inspect your project dependencies for RabbitMQ:
inspect dependencies for RabbitMQAnalyze the terminal output to locate any version of RabbitMQ in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than 3.7.21), your application is affected.
Note: Verify declared build manifests and deployed runtime container environments.
Technical Details
Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis
This vulnerability is classified under CWE-134: Use of Externally-Controlled Format String, where the product uses a function that accepts a format string as an argument, but the format string originates from an external source. In RabbitMQ, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.
Source Advisory Statement
CVE-2019-11287 Affected RabbitMQ Versions
4 component(s)| Product / Package | Ecosystem | Affected Versions | Fixed Version |
|---|---|---|---|
|
RabbitMQ
|
Hex |
≥ 3.7.0
< 3.7.21
|
3.7.21
|
|
RabbitMQ
|
Hex |
≥ 3.8.0
< 3.8.1
|
3.8.1
|
|
RabbitMQ
|
Hex |
< 1.16.7
|
1.16.7
|
|
RabbitMQ
|
Hex |
≥ 1.17.0
< 1.17.4
|
1.17.4
|
References
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2019-11287?
Which RabbitMQ versions are affected?
What version fixes CVE-2019-11287?
Is RabbitMQ affected?
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2019-11287?
What CWE is associated with CVE-2019-11287?
How can I check Hex dependencies for CVE-2019-11287?
Machine-readable OSV JSON
OSV v1.5 Schema
{
"schema_version" : "1.4.0",
"id" : "GHSA-hrfh-7j5f-8ccr",
"modified" : "2025-04-02T23:10:37Z",
"published" : "2022-05-24T17:01:50Z",
"aliases" : [ "CVE-2019-11287" ],
"summary" : "Pivotal RabbitMQ is vulnerable to a denial of service attack",
"details" : "Pivotal RabbitMQ, versions 3.7.x prior to 3.7.21 and 3.8.x prior to 3.8.1, and RabbitMQ for Pivotal Platform, 1.16.x versions prior to 1.16.7 and 1.17.x versions prior to 1.17.4, contain a web management plugin that is vulnerable to a denial of service attack. The \"X-Reason\" HTTP Header can be leveraged to insert a malicious Erlang format string that will expand and consume the heap, resulting in the server crashing.",
"severity" : [ {
"type" : "CVSS_V3",
"score" : "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
} ],
"affected" : [ {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Hex",
"name" : "RabbitMQ"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "3.7.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "3.7.21"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Hex",
"name" : "RabbitMQ"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "3.8.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "3.8.1"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Hex",
"name" : "RabbitMQ"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.16.7"
} ]
} ]
}, {
"package" : {
"ecosystem" : "Hex",
"name" : "RabbitMQ"
},
"ranges" : [ {
"type" : "ECOSYSTEM",
"events" : [ {
"introduced" : "1.17.0"
}, {
"fixed" : "1.17.4"
} ]
} ]
} ],
"references" : [ {
"type" : "ADVISORY",
"url" : "https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-11287"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2020:0078"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://github.com/DrunkenShells/Disclosures/tree/master/CVE-2019-11287-DoS%20via%20Heap%20Overflow-RabbitMQ%20Web%20Management%20Plugin"
}, {
"type" : "PACKAGE",
"url" : "https://github.com/rabbitmq/rabbitmq-server"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/07/msg00011.html"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EEQ6O7PMNJKYFMQYHAB55L423GYK63SO"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PYTGR3D5FW2O25RXZOTIZMOD2HAUVBE4"
}, {
"type" : "WEB",
"url" : "https://pivotal.io/security/cve-2019-11287"
} ],
"database_specific" : {
"cwe_ids" : [ "CWE-134", "CWE-400" ],
"severity" : "HIGH",
"github_reviewed" : true,
"github_reviewed_at" : "2022-07-01T11:48:49Z",
"nvd_published_at" : "2019-11-23T00:15:00Z"
}
}